Before Herzl: The Religious Vision That Preceded the Idea of a Jewish State

In 1894, Herzl started his Zionist activities. By 1897, the 'First Zionist Congress' convened. Already in 1881, the 'Lovers of Zion' societies were formed. But did the idea of a state exist then?

35 years before the First Zionist Congress, in 1862, Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalischer, a disciple of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, the Rabbi of Poznań in Germany and a prominent halachic authority of the time (he also studied with Rabbi Yaakov of Lissa, author of 'Netivot Hamishpat'), published his book 'Drishat Zion'. At nearly 70 years old, Rabbi Kalischer crowned decades of work advocating for a Jewish state in Israel. Concurrently, he served as the rabbi and head of the Rabbinical Court in the city of Toruń in Germany.

In the preface to his book, Rabbi Kalischer shares: "For over thirty years, I've toiled extensively in this matter while our great and holy teacher, Rabbi Akiva Eiger zt"l, was alive, and he agreed with my approach."

Indeed, nearly thirty years earlier, while Baron Mayer Amschel Rothschild was alive, the second in the Rothschild dynasty—a devout and Torah-respecting Jew—Rabbi Kalischer approached him to form a union of wealthy Jews to purchase Israel from the Sultan. He later reached out to Sir Moses Montefiore regarding this matter.

Two years before the book's publication, Dr. Chaim Luria from Frankfurt established the 'Society for the Settlement of Israel'. Rabbi Kalischer was among the thinkers of the society, whose goal was to bring the redemption closer, support the Jewish scholars in Israel, and more. The vision, as expressed in Rabbi Kalischer's 'Drishat Zion', is: "To settle many of our brethren, the House of Israel, in the Holy Land, to toil by the work of their hands."

Historian Yosef Shalmon writes: "The endorsements for 'Drishat Zion' strengthen the claim that the idea of settling Israel and the national Jewish revival has its roots in traditional Judaism, standing midway – between Eastern and Western European Judaism."

Shalmon details the endorsements given to the book by Rabbi Eliyahu of Grieditz, one of the great scholars at the time, and the Rabbi of Konigsberg. Additionally, Shalmon mentions that the 'Society for the Settlement of Israel' received endorsement from prominent leaders of the Haredi community in Eastern Europe, including Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, Rabbi David Friedman of Karlin, and Rabbi Israel Joshua Heshin of Kutno. Rabbi Yaakov Ettlinger of Germany (author of 'Aruch LaNer') also expressed willingness to support the society. Rabbi Nathan Adler, head of the Rabbinical Court in London, also gave an endorsement. Consistent public support came from Israel's Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Chaim David Chazan.

Alongside Rabbi Kalischer, Rabbi Shmuel Mohilever, a student of Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin, who studied in the Volozhin Yeshiva and was ordained as a rabbi by him, worked for Jewish settlement in Israel. After many years of advocating for Jewish settlement according to the Torah in Israel, Rabbi Mohilever embarked on a fundraising journey across European communities. During this journey, he achieved a significant historical feat that changed the course of settlement history: he persuaded Baron Rothschild to support the new colonies in Israel. Rothschild's support was crucial for the sustainability of many colonies, which otherwise wouldn't have survived under the challenging Ottoman conditions. Initially, he wasn't even allowed to meet the baron. Representatives of the 'Alliance Israélite Universelle' in Paris dismissed Rabbi Mohilever as an eccentric—the future of Jews was in Europe, and settling in Israel was just for diehards who wanted to end their days there. Rabbi Mohilever involved the Chief Rabbi of Paris, Rabbi Zadok Cohen, to appeal to the baron's heart. The meeting took place, and during it, Rabbi Mohilever persuaded the baron that this was doable and that such settlement could lead to the establishment of a real Jewish state.

In Zionist historical literature, where Herzl is often credited with envisioning the Jewish state, it is usually claimed that Joseph Feinberg, a founder of Rishon LeZion, was the first to meet the baron and persuade him to support the settlement. The truth is the meeting with Feinberg was a month after the one with Rabbi Mohilever and followed it. Rabbi Mohilever met with the baron during the intermediary days of Sukkot in 1882, 5643, and a month later, sometime in Cheshvan 5643, he invited Feinberg.

Subsequently, Rabbi Mohilever founded the colony of Ekron, writing in his letter: "The colony Ekron, which I founded at the expense of the noble benefactor Edmond de Rothschild from Paris, as I labored with this gentleman for over three years when in Paris, and the matter is extensive. All its people are farmers from their youth, upright and very God-fearing."

These were some of the figures who envisioned the Jewish state as a state for Jews in the spirit of the Torah and dedicated themselves extensively to the building of the land.